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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chest — a box
  6. last — to go on
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. perch — the fish
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stand — to bear
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. last — final
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com